Materials marked by an * are my beginner recommendations.
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PAPERS
* Starting with the basics, here is my go-to, general use, practice watercolor paper. This 9″x12″ Canson watercolor pad is perfect for beginners and your basic watercolor needs!
When it’s time for a quality, professional piece of work, Arches 140 lb, 100% cotton paper is what I use. I prefer cold pressed which has a beautiful texture and is just delicious to paint on. I prefer pads over blocks, as I like to stretch my own paper.
PAINTS
* These M. Graham & Co watercolors and just yummy to paint with. The tubes are large plus the paint is very pigmented, so they will last a long time! They are sold in sets (great for when you don’t know what colors you want!) or as individual tubes.
These metallic watercolors are a super fun addition to anybody’s paint collection. It’s always fun to add a little reflection & sparkle into your paintings!
I have the Metallic Gold & Silver Set and the Rich Pearl Watercolor Paint Set
Winsor & Newton professional watercolour series are what I paint my custom and professional work with. The excellent quality, permanence and lightfastness ensures the pieces painted will resist fading and last a long time.
BRUSHES
* I use Princeton Velvetouch synthetic hair brushes almost exclusively. I picked mine up individually in a local craft store, but here they are as a set on Amazon.
This waterbrush is perfect for outings where you don’t want to worry about bringing a water container. It’s a fun tool to use for quick, plein air or travel painting.
PALETTES
* These inexpensive plain white plates make the perfect palette. I couldn’t find this exact plate, but these are really similar! Really, any shape will do.
The FCLUB Watercolor Tin is a great way to store and arrange the exact colors you like in your palette. With removable half-pans and a low profile case, not to mention the multiple design options to choose from, this palette is a beauty!
This ceramic mixing palette is stunning! It’s solid and heavy, with multiple wells and plenty of space to mix colors in. It makes a beautiful companion palette to the FCLUB Tin above.
Buying this palette set was pure indulgence and I love it so much. I knew I had to have it the moment I saw it. They are hand-crafted palettes from Sarah at Sylvan Clayworks. So if you’re looking for a beautiful addition to your art setup, we can be moon palette buddies. 🙂
These hand carved ceramic paint palettes from Annie are what dreams are made off. It’s gives me butterflies every time I see it sitting on my desk. She occasionally makes paint palettes, but all her other work is gorgeous too, so keep your eye on her if you’d like to snag something intricately gorgeous.
PENS & PENCILS
This tiny, tiny pencil is what I sign my pieces of work with. And while looking up the link for the button below, I saw they now come in white and I must have it. Sooo that’s going on my wish list. 🙂
These pens are the perfect artist pens – archival quality, waterproof, fade resistant, bleed free and quick drying. I always a have a few around of varying sizes. You can’t go wrong with a Micron.
I love a good brush pen and these Tombow Fudenosuke pens are wonderful. And if you poke around a little on Amazon, they come in colors too!
These are my FAVORITE office pens! Though I don’t use them in my paintings, they are great for bullet journals/planners. They are fine tip and the color selection is great.
MISCELLANEOUS
This 18″ ruler has become essential for tearing or cutting larger pieces of paper down to size.
* Masking tape is a watercolor basic. It’s a good idea to tape your paper down before painting to avoid buckling and warping of the paper.
* As far as erasers go, both regular and kneaded erasers are very handy. I’m partial to the kneaded erasers that come with their own little containers because, let me tell you, the little devils will pick up every little piece of lint, hair or pencil shaving unless they’re protected. 😆
Gummed tape is needed if you’re delving into the world of stretching your watercolor paper. If that’s you, here you go!
Along with gummed tape and and MDF board (purchased at your nearest home improvement store) a staple gun is needed to stretch your own paper.
Masking fluid is not the most common watercolor tool, but when you need it, it comes in so handy!
I’m surprised at how many times I need to pull out my scalpel to cut, pick or slice something, so this self-healing cutting mat has been the most useful tool! It was important to have a non-descript color and this one fits the bill with a gray/slightly opaque material. I have the 24″ x 36″ to make sure I had plenty of space for tearing large sheets of watercolor paper down to size or hand-cutting prints to exact dimensions.
